Theatre manager David Lindsey was suffering from appalling tooth- ache when he rang to try and book a popular poet.

"Her office put me on hold and I had to listen to her reading one of her poems. It was 'I wish I'd looked after me teeth.'

"She writes about people's experiences and things they can relate to.

"She has done so much to make poetry popular and not just something you study at school with your arm twisted up your back."

He's talking about PAM AYRES who'll be one of the stars of the new season at Middlesbrough Theatre.

"I think it's the first time she has come here. I would like to see more celebrities like her and I am working on it, so watch this space."

He's delighted with his new season. "It's getting better and better and bigger and bigger with very one we do," he says.

"We are trying to get in something different every season and we are succeeding.

"I also want to get a balanced programme that will appeal to a wide section of audiences.

"We have Pam, My Beautiful Laundrette, Book Of The Banshee by the children's Poet Laureate, Golden Boy, Betrayal and the Live Bed Show.

"I am particularly excited about my Beautiful Laundrette as it's the adaptation of the film which came in the top 100 movies recently.

"It was originally set in Margaret Thatcher's Britain but I think it is still relevant in Blair's Britain."

The show, at the theatre a week tonight, is on a tour that also brings it to Darlington Arts Centre on Tuesday.

"The Book Of The Banshee is another adaptation from a novel, this time by Anne Fine who wrote Mrs Doubtfire.

"She lives at Barnard Castle and we hope she can come and see it when it's here on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 26-27.

"She is children's laureate and it's being done very much to target the 11 to 13 year age group.

"There is never much work around for them. There is stuff for the primary group and older children but not the gap in between.

"It deals with what it is like to be children growing up, a subject which will ring bells.

"It's on for schools during the day but at night for parents."

It will be followed into the theatre from Thursday-Saturday, February 28-March 1 by Golden Boy.

Both come from David's old employers at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford in Surrey. Golden Boy has a cast of 19.

"The guy who took over from me rang and said 'This is the most exciting piece of theatre I and the director have seen for a long time. It was done in the studio but we are going to put in on in the main house. Would you be interested in doing it if we were to do a tour?'

"I said 'That would be terrific.' It's a play that has not been seen very much.

"It was filmed with Sammy Davis Jnr and is about a boy torn between his music and his boxing."

Middlesbrough Theatre will now co-produce the tour which could reach London's famous Old Vic.

"This adds up to a good full week of exciting drama. It's what I would like to see more of myself.

"I have always said this theatre is an ideal house for doing drama in.

"Actors who have come here have all said what a wonderful theatre it is to play, and how responses from the audience are the best they have had on their tours.

"They say they are very attentive and really follow it, which is not what they always get.

"Sometimes, from bigger theatres with full houses, they do not get as good a response.

"They take that back and again spread the word about us.

"I get people ringing up, offering very exciting shows, so I am hoping we will get some more of these. That's the aim."

Half-term week begins with Compact Theatre in the comedy with music, OLD SPICE ON THE ROAD TO HELL, which sees the world's oldest boyband - combined ages nearly 300 - back on the road.

By coincidence, the musical that launched the olds lads - THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN - is at the Forum in Billingham tomorrow night.

Pam Ayres is in Middlesbrough on Wednesday, February 13, then HUMPTY DUMPTY on the Thursday, followed by Ballet Russe in LES SYLPHIDES on the Saturday.

Theatre Unlimited are next in, taking a fresh look at OTHELLO from Thurs-Sat, Feb 21-23.

The strong season goes on with BETRAYAL by Harold Pinter on Friday, March 22.

"That takes us from Shakespeare and a great classical playwright to one of our great modern playwrights," says David.

"I think Betrayal is one of his best plays. It's the wonderful story of an affair.

"Four people are best friends, and two of them have an affair.

"It traces the story backwards so we can see how the whole thing developed."

SOOTY will be in full cry on Tuesday, March 26, before Howard Leader, late of TV's That's Life, and Karen Henson get between the sheets on Saturday, March 30 for the LIVE BED SHOW.

"It's a great, funny, sexy comedy," says David.

* FIND out all about FANNY HILL, whose rise and fall through the social ranks caused a sensation, in a new version at Helmsley Arts Centre tomorrow.

The play is of an adult nature but contains no nudity," says the arts centre.

Clementina Herrero plays the famous prostitute.

* ON A musical note, harpist SUE BLAIR returns to THE NORTHERN SINFONIA for their concert at Darlington Arts Centre on Thursday.

Their programme includes Beethoven's always popular Septet, Ravel's Introduction and allegro, and D'Indy's Chansons et danses. There will also be time during the concert for the audience to talk to the players - including the principals - about the evening's music.